The Best Mother Ephing Cosmopolitan

Well, here I am after finishing another cosmopolitan-off with my son.  He makes the best Raspberry Lemon drop martinis and feels that he can best me in one of my favorite drinks, the Cosmopolitan.  He has yet to do it!  But, today a discovery has been made…while following the “same” recipe, we discovered the reason why mine tasted better…I was rounding up my measurements…because I am lousy in math.  My measuring vessel did not have the markings that the recipe called for, so I rounded up.  It turns out mine was better because it was easier for me to make by rounding up the measurements, while my son guessed at where the measurement marks would be on the shot glass.  So, after many (hic) drinks and testing (and a few drunk people) we have the best Mother Ephing Cosmopolitan (the recipe below is for one drink):

1.5 ounces Absolut Citron vodka

.5 ounces Rose’s lime juice

.5 ounces Triple Sec or Cointreau

2 ounces cranberry juice

1 cup ice cubes

In a cocktail shaker combine all ingredients.  Shake well and strain into a Martini glass.  Garnish drink with lime twist.

Heavenly Grilled Scallops

DELICIOUS GRILLED SCALLOPS

Today I teased my son over  the phone telling him that I was making one of his favorite dishes that I love to make.  Well, when I described the dinner, he was drooling and he couldn’t resist coming over for a feast of the scallop specialty that I love to make.  Trust me, this recipe is restaurant quality. It’s easy and mighty gourmet.  Well, my son had to work late tonight but we waited and never ate dinner until 10:00 p.m., but the wait was worth it, especially since I had 2-1/2 glasses of Estancia Pinot Noir wine, which was great and I also highly recommend it to all of you.  My friend recommended it to me and now it is in my house most of the time for me and my friends and family.  Right now, I will share with you this magnificent recipe of Grilled Scallops in a wonderful magical sauce.  I hope that you think this recipe is as good as I think it is.

GRILLED SCALLOPS

MARINADE

3/4 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup light vegetable oil, such as canola

1 Tbsp. minced shallot

1 garlic clove, pressed

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 teasp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Chopped parsley

20 large sea scallops (I double the marinade for 20 scallops above).  Good for the sauce to have extra marinade

2 teasp. Cornstarch

1 Tbsp. Soy sauce

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a nonreactive container and mix well.

1. Rinse scallops with cold water and blot dry.  Submerge scallops in marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.
2. Drain marinade and reserve it.  Then place scallops in fish grill and barbecue over direct flame.
3. Pour reserved marinade into a small saucepan.  Place cornstarch in a small bowl and add soy sauce and mix the two.  Stir cornstarch mixture into the marinade and bring to a boil for a minute or two.  When scallops are done, place on plates and spoon some marinade on each scallop and pass the rest in a gravy dish.

SLURP!!!  SO YUMMY

DOUBLE ALL MIXTURES FOR 20 SCALLOPS

Linguine in Clam Sauce Delight

LINGUINE IN CLAM SAUCE

Yesterday I was really busy with errands and fun stuff and I was at a complete loss of the dinner project so after thinking and going through lots of fast and delicious recipes that are stuck in my head, the bells went off in my mind and lo and behold – one of my very favorite easy and I mean easy and quick recipes appeared in my thoughts.  So, with that said, I would like to share with you that recipe – that’s if you like clams and garlic.  Well, here goes:

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried  oregano

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic or dried parsley flakes (1/2 teaspoon)

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 cup clam juice

4 cans of chopped clams with juice (Snow’s brand if possible)

1 pound box of linguine  or less than the whole box  

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the garlic and cook until softened, about one minute, taking care not to let it get any color.  Then add the clam juice, oregano, salt, pepper, parsley and the pinch of red pepper flakes.  Heat until quite warm, not boiling and then add the 4 cans of clams with the juice and then heat until it boils very moderately.  You then can leave the sauce with the heat turned off on the stove until you are ready to make the linguine.  When the pasta is made, drain it and place portions in pasta bowls and spoon the reheated sauce on each portion of pasta to make sure there is enough sauce on it so that it looks a little soupy.  That’s because there is nothing like dipping bread into the sauce that is left in the bowl.  Of course, if you desire, sprinkle parmesan cheese on the pasta dish if you want.  It truly is a great recipe and so very easy.  YUM and enjoy!!!!!  That’s how I make it.  Whatever pasta is left without sauce, I add whatever sauce is left in the saucepan to the pasta for those who want second helpings.

Fish to Die For-YUM

Well, hi everybody – I really have lots to tell all of you but right now I really want to share a recipe I created that is so yummy and  really healthy and probably low in calories.  I have been making it so many times that now I think it’s time to share with you.  Hopefully all of you like fish.  A few of the ingredients really were discovered by me when I went to Costa Rica and I can’t live without them.  I found them on line, being that I don’t live there,  so I will share with you.  YUM!  First of all I love catfish, but you can use any kind of mild white fish.  Here’s what I do:

For 2 filets of some kind of fish:

Lemon juice squeezed to make about 3/4 cup – put it into a pyrex dish to be able to hold the fish filets so that they are 1/4 swimming in the lemon juice.  Then I put the fish into the lemon juice and turn it over and over so that both sides have lemon juice on them.  Then I scantly put a little of Lizano salsa on each filet and then sprinkle some Badia Complete Seasoning on the fish.  Put into a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes and VOILA! you have a wonderful tasting filet of fish and healthy too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do – of course, you have to like the taste of lemon.  YUM – it’s one of my favorites and so easy too.  Good luck and hope that you let me know what you think of it.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

There’s this wonderful coffee stop near where I live that I really enjoy just hanging around there drinking my favorite coffee or tea drink called Barclays Coffee.  The staff and the owner are gems and they make me feel right at home because of their wonderful hospitality.  So, during one of our many conversations, I informed the owner “Jay” that I make a wonderful flourless chocolate cake and I caught him drooling at the description of it.  I, therefore, promised to make a cake for him – so yesterday was the day.  I brought the cake into his  cafe and everybody’s eyes were popping and mouths were drooling.  It really made me feel great because I know how yummy it is.  Actually whenever I go out to eat and see a flourless chocolate cake on the menu, I really don’t think it compares to the recipe that I use.  So, I will be happy to share my recipe with whoever sees this part of my blog.  I really don’t remember how I found this recipe because it was a very long time ago.  All I remember is that I got the recipe from a friend at my workplace and I don’t know where she got it.  All I can say – it’s a keeper!!!!!

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

7 oz. Sugar

3 egg whites, room temperature

3 yolks and 1 egg

7 oz. Bittersweet chocolate (Ghiradelli 60% cocao)

7 Tbsp. Butter, unsalted

pinch of salt

Garnish of powdered sugar and/or cocoa

Combine 1/3 of sugar with egg whites and whip to a soft peak.  Set aside.

Combine remaining sugar with the yolks and 1 egg.  Beat until color lightens and forms a ribbon.

Melt chocolate, butter and salt over a double boiler.

In a large bowl, combine the chocolate with the yolk mixture until blended.  Fold in the egg white mixture (1/3 at a time) and pour into a 9” spring form.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Unmold after cake is cool.

Garnish with powdered sugar and/or cocoa.

SLURP SLURP!!!  The best!!!!!!!!

Chicken Soup Day

Rain, rain, rain – would you believe it for So. California?  We need it badly but I’m not a rain person at all – just sunshine 365 days a year.  OK, it can rain while I’m sleeping, but that’s it for me.  So, since it was/is raining, it’s a good time to make soup.  So, yum, yum, I made my favorite – chicken soup (Jewish penicillin they say!).  I made so much, but in one day, it’s practically gone.  Of course, I gave some to my son, because he raids my refrigerator every time he comes over, so knowing that he would see it, I was a generous mom.  I also had tons of chicken that I separated from the soup and when it’s hot and really juicy, quite a bit of it lands in my stomach and my son’s before it hits the soup.  Major slurp!!  So, if anybody is interested, I’m going to let you in on my so-called chicken soup recipe.  Everybody must know how to make chicken soup, but I just want to share mine.  So, here goes!!!!

I buy one whole chicken (not kosher) and 2 or 3 thighs of kosher chicken – wash it inside and out and put it in a BIG soup pot.  The kosher chicken has lots of fat and that makes the soup have a delicious and intense flavor.  After that – I put one onion cut up, about 8 peeled carrots, a large peeled parsnip, lots of celery leaves and a few stalks into the pot.  Then I put about 3 or 4 tablespoons of dried dill, (maybe 5), lots of pepper (use your judgment), about 3 teaspoons of salt and just dump it on the chicken and veggies that are in the pot.  Then put the BIG pot under the faucet in the kitchen sink and put in enough cold water to cover the chicken and veggies.  Cover the pot and get the water to boil on the stove, and then turn the flame down to a simmer (but with tiny bubbles) and just let it go for a few hours.  Then, what I do, is take all the chicken out of the pot and separate it from the bones, strain the soup into a large container that the soup will fit into.  I want a clear soup.  I throw out all the veggies, except the carrots, but I keep them in a container for the time being.  Put the soup in the refrigerator and the next day skim all the fat and then you have a “fatless” (my own word) soup.  Of course, you need noodles, so I get the Manischewitz fine noodles and cook them, drain them and do not rinse them after they are cooked and put them into the soup.  I put salt in the water when I cook them so therefore the salt on the noodles make a little extra flavor in the soup.  Of course, you can then add the carrots, whatever chicken you want and yum yum, go for it.  I think the dill just makes the soup so flavorful.  Of course, if you don’t like dill, then you are on your own.  Enjoy!!!!!!!!

Great Eats at Chado Tearoom

Hi Everybody,

Today I went to a wonderful tearoom in Pasadena and of course there is a story connected to this.  Well, last Christmas I received a gift from my “almost” sister-in-law Jennifer.  I say that because my son married a twin and Jennifer is the other twin – so we really all are so close that she is considered part of me.  Anyhow, this gift was a gift bag of some wonderful loose tea from this great tearoom called Chado (www.chadotea.com).  Well, I’m kind of weird – after tasting it and enjoying it so much, I didn’t use it often because I didn’t want to use it up.  I sometimes do these strange things.  Last week I made a big pitcher of iced tea with that special tea and it was totally amazing.  My family craves iced tea whenever they come over, so I absolutely must have iced tea in the fridge.  I always have fruit flavored brewed tea ready for them, otherwise I would be in big trouble.  Well, this particular iced tea was so amazing that again I was afraid they would drink it up and “bye bye” special tea.  So, Jennifer and I went to Chado today and had lunch and of course, had the tea.  I didn’t know what the name of it was, so I brought what I had left from my Christmas present with me.  Lunch was great at Chado and we both bought a good size bag of the loose tea.  It is a fruit flavored black tea made up with different berries blended together.  Yummmmmm!  When I make iced tea I use one of those round screened tea infusers on a chain and put about 3 teaspoons of loose tea in it and hang it over a quart pitcher.  When the water almost comes to a boil, I pour the water over the tea infuser into the pitcher and let it steep for at least 25 minutes.  I do it that long because when ice is put into a glass before you put the cold tea into the glass, in time the ice melts and then the flavor of the tea isn’t as strong.  You certainly don’t want to do without that flavor.  Anyhow, that’s how I do it and I better keep making it.  I bought enough to last for quite awhile so I’ll be generous to my family.  HA!  By the way, we are a fun family group and as I keep blogging, you will see what I cook for them and my friends.

Hot Day with Yummy Hors d’Oeuvre

Well, today is mighty hot, dry and windy here in Southern California and we are surrounded by fires, but nothing near me.  It’s almost too hot to cook.  So, I would like to share a very simple recipe that I put together for a quickie hors d’oeuvre.  If you want you can also use it as a side salad dish.  My family loves it so much that it is gone before you can say “BOO.”  Just let me tell you that the main ingredient is a box of grape tomatoes from Costco.  Of course, if you aren’t near a Costco, then I’m sure you can find grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes.  They are so yummy and perfect for this salad.  So, here we go:

One box of grape tomatoes – use about 30 tomatoes

4 slices of Buffalo mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes

2-3 teaspoons of dried basil

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Just enough Italian dressing to get the mixture wet.

Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Put into a glass bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix all the ingredients until they are coated with the dressing and serve with toothpicks for an hors d’oeuvre.

Now for my special secret ;  I make my very own Italian dressing and it is a staple in my home.  But I would love to share my secret with everybody who is interested.

WEETIE’S SPECIAL ITALIAN DRESSING

2/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar (mixed with a touch of balsamic vinegar)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Put all ingredients into a salad dressing shaker  or jar and cover and shake,  shake, shake.  Yum!  It lasts a long time, that’s if you don’t use it too much.  But I’m sure you will love it so just keep it in the fridge and enjoy!!!!!!!!  Great salad dressing or marinade.

I have a friend who wanted the recipe for the salad dressing and after I gave it to him, he told me at a later date that he and his wife keep it as a major staple in their home.  They are never without it.  Thanks so much Paul and Suzanne!!!!!  That really makes me feel good.

Boobs in the Kitchen…

Hi Everybody,

Now that I have your attention, let me tell you where that title came from….         I am going to let you into my heart’s passion for cooking and entertaining.  It makes me so happy to entertain friends and family and I treat everyone like they are all so special me, I guess that’s because they are!  It all started when I was young and just watching my mother in the kitchen making such delicious food for everybody and I was fascinated by her techniques and the ease and enjoyment she had cooking and serving our family as if we were guests.  The table was set just perfectly and absolutely no milk cartons or any kind of condiment in its original packaging was placed on the table.  Well, as for me, I also like to set the table nicely but sometimes I don’t go as far as my Mom did  . . . I put the bottled condiments on the table sometimes.  You all are probably wondering how I got the crazy name “Boobs in the Kitchen.”  Well, when I was in my early teens, I called my mom Boo-Boo and so did my sisters.  Then the name gradually was shortened to Boob (she wasn’t too pleased with that name) and then it stuck.  Then my sister and I started a cookbook of recipes taken from Boob and also from my recipes that I concocted or followed in a cookbook with my own changes and then we had to pick a name for the cookbook (which never was published) and VOILA! the name “Boobs in the Kitchen” was created.